The present invention relates generally to the field of concrete placement vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to concrete placement vehicle control systems for concrete placement vehicles.
Various vehicles, vehicle types and configurations of vehicles are known for use in placement of concrete. Concrete placement vehicles often include a mixing drum rotatably mounted to a flatbed of an industrial vehicle. The mixing drum includes mixing blades affixed to the interior of the drum in a spiral pattern to either charge (mix) or discharge concrete. A delivery system usually includes a chute or pumping hose placed at an opening in the mixing drum. Rotation of the drum for both mixing and discharging operations is controlled by a mixing drum motor mounted to the flatbed of the vehicle and connected to the mixing drum.
In operation, concrete materials are added to the mixing drum to initiate a concrete mixing process. Concrete materials can include at least cement, sand, aggregate, and water. Following addition of materials, the mixing drum is rotated in a first direction by the mixing drum motor to mix the materials and produce concrete. The rotation of the mixing drum in a direction to mix the materials therein is referred to as a charging rotation.
During delivery, concrete is removed from the drum through a mechanical or forced pressure system for delivery. Using a mechanical system, the mixing drum is rotated in a second direction, referred to as a discharging rotation. The concrete can be delivered from the mixing drum to a concrete delivery chute extending outward from an opening in the drum to the point where the concrete is to be placed. Alternatively, the opening in the mixing drum can be connected to a hose, the outlet of which is placed at the point where concrete is to be delivered.
All aspects of the above-described operations related to a concrete mixing and delivery system may be controlled by a human operator. The human operator places the concrete materials in the mixing drum, controls the mixing drum motor to rotate the mixing drum to mix the concrete mixing materials, and controls the concrete delivery system to deliver the concrete.
In some instances, the human operator is not able to continuously and effectively control and monitor the concrete mixing and delivery system while performing operations associated with the mixing and delivery process. For example, during concrete discharging, the operator may control the chute or hose outlet from a control panel locate on the vehicle to ensure the proper placement of the concrete load. The operator must also control the rotation speed of the mixing drum to control the flow of the concrete. However, the drum rotation controls and the delivery system controls may be in separate locations making it difficult for the operator to easily control both systems.
Further, the operation of the mixing drum motor can be dependent, at least in part, on the engine speed of a concrete placement vehicle. For example, at high mixing drum rotation speeds, the RPM of the engine for the concrete placement vehicle must be sufficiently high to power the mixing drum motor. Accordingly, in order to increase the mixing drum rotation speed, an operator is required to first increase the engine RPM of the concrete placement vehicle and then increase the rotation speed of the concrete mixing drum. Such an operation causes a loss in efficiency.
Yet further, while driving concrete from an origin point to a delivery site, the operator is generally not able to monitor and control the state of the concrete in the mixing drum. The concrete may become too dry or separate during the time the operator is driving to the delivery site. Accordingly, the operator is forced to take remedial action upon arriving at the delivery site to correct any problems that may have occurred during the drive from the origin site to the delivery point causing a loss in efficiency.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a control system for a concrete placement vehicle which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned problems. Advantageously, such a control system would enhance many aspects of concrete placement. The techniques below extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they provide any of the above-mentioned advantageous features.